Cassie’s Ruminations

Chicken and Mushrooms in Garlic White Wine Sauce

Tonight’s dinner was inspired by a Cooking Light recipe. I chose to use whole skinless boneless chicken thighs, and I also omitted the pasta and the cheese. This was a very good meal, and one that I’ll repeat again. We both love mushrooms and chicken, and the sauce worked well. I served this with salt roasted veggies and a plate of fresh baby radishes and carrots. Have I mentioned recently how much I’m loving my CSA boxes? 😀

Chicken and Mushrooms in Garlic White Wine Sauce
Serves 2

1 lb skinless boneless chicken thighs
3 tbsp olive oil, divided
2 tbsp all purpose flour
1/2 tsp kosher salt, divided
1/2 tsp white pepper, divided
3 cloves garlic, pressed
1/2 tsp dried tarragon
1 lb small button mushrooms, cleaned and cut in half
3/4 cup dry white wine, such as chardonnay
1 cup low sodium chicken broth

Pour one tbsp of the olive oil into a large skillet over medium heat. When it gets hot, add the chicken thighs and cook them for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until nicely browned and mostly cooked through. Remove the chicken to a plate and set aside, leaving as much oil as possible in the pan. Add the garlic and tarragon and cook for a few seconds to start browning the garlic. Add the mushrooms and cook until tender and the liquid that they release is mostly boiled off. Add the remaining two tbsp of olive oil and the two tbsp of flour and stir well to make a roux. Cook for 30 seconds to remove any raw flour taste. Add the wine and chicken broth and deglaze the pan. Stir constantly to incorporate the roux completely and bring the mixture to a boil to fully thicken the sauce. Turn the heat to medium low and add the chicken and any accumulated juices back to the skillet. Simmer for 2-3 minutes to finish cooking the chicken. Serve warm.

Posted in CSA, Food, Poultry, Vegetables | No Comments »

Salt Roasted Vegetables

This is an easy, though time consuming, way to bring out the best of root veggies and potatoes. I had a bunch of beets, baby turnips, and potatoes to use up from this weeks CSA box before I pick up the new one tomorrow, so I made a lovely roast of them all. The flavors were just wonderful. The salt infused quite a bit so unless you’re a salt fiend like my husband, do brush off the visible salt before serving. Kosher salt is quite cheap, so I didn’t feel bad using a couple cups in this application.

Salt Roasted Vegetables
Serves 4

1 small bunch beets, about 8 oz with greens
1 small bunch baby turninps, about 8 oz with greens
3 large yukon gold potatoes, about 2 lbs
2 cups kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Line a large baking sheet with foil and pour in 2 cups of kosher salt to make an even layer about 1/8 inch thick.

Cut the vegetables into 1 inch chunks and nestle evenly into the salt. Cover with foil and roast for about 1 hour. Remove the foil and continue roasting for another 20-30 minutes, or until the vegetables are fork tender and starting to turn golden around the edges. Remove the veggies to a serving bowl, brushing away most of the visible salt. Serve warm.

Posted in CSA, Food, Vegetables | 1 Comment »

Teriyaki Flank Steak with Snow Peas and Pineapple

This was a decently tasty meal for me just winging it. I didn’t like this teriyaki sauce as much as my usual version, but it wasn’t bad. The peas were from my CSA box, and I steamed them for about 6 minutes to get them just crisp-tender. They were really fresh and nice! The pineapple I cut up and broiled alongside the meat, taking it out when it was getting nice and caramelized along the edges.

Teriyaki Flank Steak
Serves 4

1 flank steak, about 2 lbs
kosher salt and black pepper

For the sauce:
6 oz pineapple juice (1 small can)
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup sake
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/8 cup water

Preheat the broiler to high, with a rack about 8 inches from the heat.

Season flank steak generously with kosher salt and black pepper. Place under the broiler and cook for about 8 minutes on each side, or until cooked to your liking and nicely brown.

While the flank steak cooks, mix the pineapple juice, soy sauce, sake, garlic, and red pepper flakes in a sauce pan. Bring to a gentle boil. Mix together the cornstarch and water into a slurry and add it to the sauce, stirring constantly. Bring back to a boil to thicken, then reduce the heat to low and keep warm.

Let the beef rest for 10 minutes, then slice across the grain. Serve warm with the sauce.

Posted in Asian, Beef, CSA, Food, Fruit, Vegetables | No Comments »

Egg Drop Soup

This was a very quick and easy light dinner for a rainy evening after a beautiful weekend! The mushrooms can be replaced with fresh, or even omitted if you aren’t a fan, but I like the subtle umami flavor that they add.

Egg Drop Soup
Serves 4 as an appetizer

1 quart low sodium chicken broth
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp white pepper
1/4 cup dried shiitake mushroom slices
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Whisk together the broth, cornstarch, ginger, and pepper in a saucepan. Turn the heat to medium high and add the mushrooms. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and let the soup come to a simmer. Stir with a slow steady circular motion as you pour the egg into the soup. Turn the heat off and let rest for 1-2 minutes to set the egg. Serve hot.

Posted in Asian, Eggs, Food, Soup | No Comments »

Tomato Basil Salad

This is a quick and easy summer salad that is a great start to any grilled meal. The fresh tomatoes and basil really sing here, so get the best you can!

Tomato Basil Salad
Serves 4

1 pound fresh tomatoes, halved if grape or cherry, cut into bite sized chunks otherwise
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
kosher salt and black pepper

Stack up the basil leaves and roll them up into a skinny tube. Slice the tube crosswise to form shreds of basil. Place the tomatoes and basil in a bowl, pour the vineger over the top, and season lightly with salt and pepper. Toss gently to combine and serve.

Posted in Food, Salads, Vegetables | 1 Comment »

Kung Pao Chicken

This recipe is mostly inspired by this one from Simply Recipes, with the addition of water chestnuts and zucchini. Neither of us were fans of this version. It was mostly bland, and the slight numbing from the Sichuan peppercorns was just odd. Next time I’ll find a few new launching points to try. This may well be your ideal, though, so I’ll give it a post!

Kung Pao Chicken
Serves 4 generously

3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about 2 lbs

For the stir fry:
2 tbsp canola oil, divided
6 medium zucchini, about 2 lbs
1 8-oz can sliced water chestnuts
1 teaspoon of Sichuan peppercorns
8 small red dried chiles
3 cloves of garlic, pressed
1 tablespoon of freshly grated ginger
4 green onions, chopped
3/4 cup of roasted, unsalted peanuts

For the marinade:
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sherry, sake, or Shaoxing rice wine
2 tsp cornstarch

For the sauce:
1 tbsp sherry, sake, or Shaoxing rice wine
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
3 tsp sugar
1 tsp cornstarch

Mix the marinade ingredients in a large zip top bag. Slice the chicken into bite sized pieces and toss them with the marinade. Seal the bag and set aside.

Mix together the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

Slice the zucchini in quarters lengthwise, then into 1/4 thick slices. Drain the water chestnuts well. Set aside as well.

Press the garlic into a small bowl with the grated ginger and chopped green onion. Set aside.

In another small bowl, place the whole chiles and peppercorns.

Pour 1 tbsp of the canola oil into the wok and heat. Add the zucchini and let rest for 1 minute to start browning, then stir fry for 4-5 minutes to cook through. Add the water chestnuts and stir to combine. Cook for another minute to warm through. Pour the veggies into a bowl and set aside.

Pour the second tbsp of canola oil and the tsp of sesame oil into the wok and heat. Add the chiles and peppercorns and fry for 30 seconds to infuse the oil and bloom the spice. Add the chicken and let cook for 1-2 minutes to get a nice brown on one side. Add the ginger, garlic, and green onions, and stir fry the chicken until cooked through, about another 6-8 minutes.

Whisk the sauce briefly to reincorporate the cornstarch. Pour it over the chicken and toss to combine. When it comes to a boil and thickens, add the veggies and peanuts and toss to combine well. Serve hot.

Posted in Asian, Food, Poultry, Vegetables | No Comments »

CSA Box – Week 2

In this week’s CSA box:

Lettuce-Green Romaine
Turnips
Radishes-Red
Potatoes-Yellow
Peas-Snow Peas
Carrots-Spring
Beets-Red Ace
Beans-Fava

Posted in CSA, Food, Ramblings, Vegetables | No Comments »

Mushroom Burgers

Another take on low carb burgers – these I made with 85% lean ground beef, similarly seasoned with salt, pepper, and a bit of Worcestershire; each patty about 1/4 lb and 1/2 inch thick; and grilled for about 4 minutes on each side. To go with it, I sauteed 8 oz of crimini mushrooms in about 1 tbsp of butter, seasoned with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Some bibb lettuce leaves and sliced tomatoes rounded out the fixings. All in all a tasty and filling meal!

Posted in Beef, Food, Grilling, Vegetables | 1 Comment »

Big Pillow

We cleaned off the big pillow chair of the accumulated junk, and Emma and I promptly enjoyed our nest. She and I both love the big comfy pillow 🙂

Posted in Corgi, Ramblings | No Comments »

An Easy Dinner

Tonight we had a super easy dinner – turkey smoked sausage, roasted broccoli and cauliflower, and scrambled eggs. I’ve talked about the turkey smoked sausage before, and I just sliced it up and browned it in a skillet. The broccoli and cauliflower I sprayed lightly with olive oil, sprinkled with kosher salt, and roasted at 425 degrees F for about 45 minutes. The eggs were scrambled over medium low heat with a small pat of butter. I used the farm fresh eggs from my CSA box, and they were just great! The freshness was really very evident from the moment I cracked them to the moment I put the last bite in my mouth. Sadly, they weren’t available for this week’s box, but I’ll be watching for them to come around again!

Posted in CSA, Easy, Eggs, Food, Poultry, Vegetables | No Comments »